This week's Tube strike to go ahead

ASLEF, the union for drivers on the London Underground, have said that the strike will go ahead for 24 hours from Wednesday evening, as unions have not had enough time to study new pay offer.‏

This means that services are going to be messy and Transport for London says that there will be no trains at all from late afternoon Wednesday or all day Thursday.

The 24-hour walkouts will happen from 6.30pm, and services will start to wind down before then.

The issue here, is over the Night Tubes, which are due to run in September. Drivers and staff feel like they're being shafted over the pay and working hours.

Finn Brennan, the district secretary of Aslef, who happen to represent most of the drivers, had previously said that he was "increasingly pessimistic" that there was going to be an agreement: "They have not moved their position at all during the last three months and seem intent of forcing through change without negotiation."

Steve Griffiths, London Underground's chief operating officer, said: "Londoners and businesses overwhelmingly back the Night Tube. Most of our staff will not be affected by the new services at all because it affects only five of eleven lines. Some staff will actually work fewer nights than they do now because we have hired 137 more train operators specifically for the Night Tube."

"The train staff who will be affected are being asked to work around an additional seven nights each year on average, with no increase in their total current hours. In return, we are offering a realistic pay increase this year and next, as well as an additional payment for Night Tube working. We are ready to negotiate, but any increase must be sustainable and fair. I urge the trade unions to keep talking to us."

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5 comments

HexParadox

god forbid London should try and keep up and continue to increase itself as n international city and destination. Unions are bad for everyone, they are blatantly bullies trying to justify their own putrid existence

Do you also disagree with the sub 40 hour week? Paid holiday? Paternity leave? Pensions? The ability to contest an unfair dismissal?
Fuck you if you don't appreciate everything unions have done for the world.

Massively overpaid fucktards who only have to be trained to press two buttons: stop, and go. Everything else is automated. Now that their Trotskyite leader is happily dead, just sack them all and replace them with, well, nothing. A machine can do it equally as well. The drivers can get jobs on black cabs till Uber replace them too.

this guy -
the unions had their place sadly now they have too much power and sit there is their ivory towers and massive salaries while pretending to "stick up for the little guy" they are a drain on resources from a past era. their power should be reigned in